Mozart 252

Released in 2008 to commemorate the 252nd anniversary of Mozart's birth, Mozart 252 serves as a definitive collection of Michael Nyman's long-standing obsession with the Austrian master. Nyman, who famously coined the term 'minimalism' in 1968, has frequently used Mozart as a source of 'found material' for his own compositions. This album compiles several of these works, most notably 'In Re Don Giovanni,' which deconstructs the first fifteen bars of Mozart's opera into a driving, modular piece of minimalism. The recording features the Michael Nyman Band, whose unique instrumentation - blending traditional strings with saxophones - gives the music its characteristic 'dirty' and punchy edge compared to standard chamber ensembles. Critics have noted the album for its ability to bridge the gap between the intellectual rigour of the avant-garde and the accessibility of film music, solidifying Nyman's position as a primary architect of the British post-minimalist sound.